In a continuing effort to improve the quality of shipping fruits, I, the inventor, typically hybridize a large number of peach, nectarine, plum, apricot, and cherry seedlings each year. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of peach tree, which has been denominated varietally as ‘Diamond Candy’. The present variety was hybridized by me in 1996, grown as a seedling on its own root in my greenhouse, and transplanted to a cultivated area of my experimental orchard near Le Grand, Calif., in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley).
The variety was developed as a first generation cross using ‘Diamond Ray’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,948) yellow flesh nectarine as the selected seed parent and an unnamed peach (unpatented) as the selected pollen parent. A single tree from the stated cross was selected as the claimed variety. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of nectarine tree, I asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting in the experimental orchard described above, and such reproduction of plant and fruit characteristics were true to the original plant in all respects. The reproduction of the variety included the use of ‘Nemaguard’ (unpatented) rootstock upon which the present variety was compatible and true to type.
The present variety is similar to its selected seed parent, ‘Diamond Ray’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,948) nectarine, by producing fruit that is globose in shape, firm in texture, full red in skin color, yellow in flesh color, and that ripens in the latter part of June, but is very distinguished therefrom by producing fruit that is freestone instead of clingstone, that is sub-acid instead of acid in flavor, and that is peach instead of nectarine in type.
The present variety is similar to ‘Spring Candy’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,677) peach by producing freestone peaches that are yellow in flesh color, sub-acid in flavor, globose in shape, and firm in texture, but is distinguished therefrom by producing peaches that have much less red bleeding around the stone and that mature eight days later, extending the season for this type of fruit. It is to be noted that in 2005 fruit matured earlier in the season than most years, with ‘Spring Candy’ beginning harvest on Jun. 14, 2005.